The Seven Gables
by Ping Hsin
Summary: A back story of Near. Part 1, 2. More parts to follow. Review, comments would be very helpful. Thank you!
1. Chapter 1

The young woman settled herself delicately on the edge of the white washed wicker chair making sure her dress was placed so, covering her crossed legs

The young woman settled herself delicately on the edge of the white washed wicker chair making sure her dress was placed so, covering her crossed legs. Before picking up her cup of now luke-warm tea, she readjusted the angle at which her summer hat lay upon her head. Turning her attention away from fixing the ceased wrinkles from her sundress, she followed her hostess' gaze which landed upon their seaport town of southern Maine.

"Have you heard?" Her hands fluttered gracefully landing on the bone china cup and saucer.

"Oh, I've just been so busy with the children and all…" Her hostess said still looking at the town below. "I haven't been able to do anything, really. For this is the first dinner party I will holding in over six months."

"From what I can remember it made the front page of the paper. Surely you would have seen it Marie?"

"Richard hasn't been picking up the paper lately so I wouldn't know. Stop with the guessing, tell me what happened." The woman Marie irritably said as she walked into the kitchen from the porch shutting the screen door behind her.

"Claudia is dead."

At this Marie dropped the wooden spoon into the steaming pot of stew. Quickly she lowered the heat on the stove. The young woman grinned at this with pursed lips as her listened to her hostess as she scuffled back onto the porch.

"Claudia…You mean—."

"Claudia River; yes."

Marie leaned in closer, her eyes inadvertently peered to the fence which encased her backyard. Though it was really a pointless action, she felt as if she was being watched. She could smell her friend's perfume as she whispered into her ear. "What happened?"

"What's with this low mumbled talk, there is no one to hear."

"Anne, not everyone has such charisma as you. I, for one do not want to be caught spreading rumors that aren't true."

"Who said they weren't true?" Anne replied coyly.

Marie stared curiously at Anne. _Was she telling the truth?_ As she thought about it, she couldn't help believing what the other woman said. It was probable, no; it was an inevitable fate for Claudia River.

Marie remembered when Claudia and her husband Lewis married some six years ago. In Cold Port, consisting of a population of five hundred, everything about everyone was known. As she realized such, Marie realized that her death wasn't old news.

"Such a shame—." Marie couldn't hold back her relief and feeling of jubilation when she heard such. An unremorseful grin raised her cheeks.

"Yes," the young woman said, in-between her short fits of giggles. "it is quite a shame."


	2. Chapter 2

To Claudia, her palms felt wet and tacky with sweat that had perspired due to the hot humid air; but it didn't seem to register for Lewis who still tightly held her hand

_To Claudia, her palms felt wet and tacky with sweat that had perspired due to the hot humid air; but it didn't seem to register for Lewis who still tightly held her hand. The young man stopped pulling his wife down the cracked slate walkway which lead to…_

"_Here it is!"_

"_Here is—what?" Claudia asked quizzically, obviously not grasping the reason why Lewis had drove them from their town of Lancaster to Cold Port. A grueling two hour car ride from central to southern Maine with no air conditioning. Her mind, not thinking clearly looped through the reasons for this visit. _

_Realizing the look of confusion upon her face, he decided it was best just to come straight forward with it. _

"_Claudia," his eyes gazed inadvertently to the ground. "Forgive me if this is all too sudden, I mean even though we've known each other all our lives, we have only just been in a…well…relationship. I know I should get permission from your family and of course it's your choice…but I don't think I can leave Lancaster for this job without you coming. I mean I've always wanted to be apart of a fishing crew and now I have the opportunity…I don't know. I was thinking that we could move to Cold Port together, forgive me if this is one sided, but I feel that we can go farther with this relationship."_

"…"

_Lewis bit his lip. "I'm sorry I just—."_

"_No." She met his gaze. "I'll gladly go anywhere with you…it's just. I've never left Lancaster in my entire life…" Here voice trailed off as the man walked over and rubbed held her hand. _

"_It'll be fine. It's a small town. It won't be hard to make friends; it'll be just like Lancaster."_

"_Okay…" she concluded. "But why drive all the way out here?" _

"_I thought it would be nice to see the house we'd be living in." _

_Rounding the end of the walkway, they finally came upon what Lewis had just stated. The house was quaint—not small but a spacious size that was more than adequate descent for the couple. It was two stories, topped off with a petite attic whose roof covered seven gables which protruded upwards some four feet. The house's outer walls were stone and from its symmetrical shape Claudia inferred that it was built around 1850 during the time of federal style houses were built. The porch looked as if it had been added later, for its white gingerbread styled 'frills' didn't seem to precisely coincide. _

_But for all its flaws the couple didn't seem to take notice as they continued to gaze at it well into the afternoon. _


End file.
